I'm not that stupid - Charles won't 'meddle' when he is king

08 November 2018

Of the emotional moment, Charles' wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, adds: "I think that was very touching, sitting where I was, you couldn't hear what he said". I'm not that stupid, I do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. In the BBC documentary, he said that he will operate within "constitutional parameters" when he becomes monarch, which is a "completely different" role to being the Prince of Wales, as the heir in Britain is known. "So of course I understand entirely how that should operate", he said.

Prince William tells the programme that his father is "brilliant" with his three grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis who all feature in an official photo placed prominently behind Charles during one of his interviews in the show.

Asked whether his public campaigning will go on, the royal replied: "No, it won't. But we need him there as much as possible".

But he defended his activism as heir to the throne, which includes founding the Prince's Trust charity in 1976 to support vulnerable young people. Charles has reportedly written to ministers - and even the prime minister - on subjects close to his heart, stoking concern for those who believe the royals should not get involved in such debates and worry that, once king, he may not remain above politics in the way that Queen Elizabeth has.

"You don't say. But I always wonder what meddling is, I mean I always thought it was motivating".

"I would like him to have more time with the children", William says of his father.

"So, there's nothing laid down, that's what makes it so interesting, challenging and of course complicated".

The Prince of Wales has been championing environmental and social issues for many years and the Duchess of Cornwall said he was "pretty impatient" to get things done. "But afterwards watching it on the television, I think it was a very...it was a lovely gesture", she says.